#OTP: Refined Aggression

[josephinekhawaja]

The most beautiful Kaya Scodelario looked in "The Gentlemen". And the overall scene is something that can actually be so personal. Him seeking her out. Like ending episode 6 thinking mom and dad (mum and dad) are going to war with each other...and then this...and then still the last two episodes being a roller coaster of whether or not they are going to be the literal death of one another. I have never had so much Good Stress from a ship that was Bad Stress when I was actually going through it. I aged and greyed so much through parts of this show, my poor heart.

To me, they have this low-key Bruce Wayne x Selina Kyle dynamic (sooooo, Bobby Glass would be Carmine Falcone? I can work with that), which, given how BatCat is one of my lifelong OTPs, I am sure subconsciously pulled me in. Like posh boy that can get down and dirty (so his ski mask era would be his Batman era 😅😂 "We're not criminals, Freddy"), however much he sees himself holding a higher moral ground over the underworld he must move through. And working-class girl, street smarts, that can no less look "elegant and stylish" and navigate the upper echelons; but at the end of the day is who she is and matter-of-factly💋💋💋💋a career criminal. (Kaya honestly even works as a face claim for Selina though her eyes may be closer to blue than green. I mean, the Gunnverse has to cast a Catwoman eventually, depending on the age range of their Batman... I will just leave this here for you for free, James.)

And then Princess Roseanne, the Countess of Tournai, would be Talia Al-Ghul especially when Susie lets slip some jealous vibes towards her (made me think of Anne Hathaway's snark about Marion Cotillard in the last Nolanverse film...the characters, not the actresses). Though ultimately I do see Eddie and Princess Roseanne as Just Friends and no conflict in that direction unless further miscommunication. (So much Misunderstanding Drama in this series and between OTP. When a good romantic comedy is not a romantic comedy; or even entirely a comedy.)

But really it comes down to their having such an *easy partnership*, naturally yielding to one another when it comes to it. The way Susie has her way about things -- most notably when she invites herself to meet Stanley Johnston -- and Eddie smoothly submits to her without in any way seeming whipped. Like their actions are always in agreement, even when their words are not. Those two are more married than most married folks I have seen on screen. Should have blacked out in Nevada than on the estate.

(Also, gotta love how she has him saved in her phone as "The Duke". Like forget Bridgerton...I would watch an entire season of TheoKaya going at each other in, Bridgerton ways. As it stands with this though, I could see how the greater artistic choice might be to just make this a stand-alone, but I would be greedy for any subsequent season. This is already technically an expansion on a film -- that I have yet to see -- so Guy Ritchie does not mind a revisit. I could use any more of these 2 families who fully drive the story of this world.)

[olympeline]

Carrying on from this ask and post, let’s talk about omegaverse Arthur’s often lamentable love life. 😳 I’ll start with FrUK and maybe do USUK and some others later if people are interested. The OTP must always be first

I go back and forth on whether I like Francis as a beta or an alpha. In the ScotFrUK variant, I make him a beta so the OT3 can have a nice a/b/o mix. Since I’ve already written about beta Francis there, here I’ll make him alpha for some variety. He’d be a non-traditional one the same way Arthur is a non-traditional omega. Less open aggression and bared teeth, more refinement and poise. Still deadly, though. France was always a naked steel epee under perfumed silk. A sleek hunting dog to other alphas’ snarling wolves.

Francis and Arthur grew up together just like they do in canon. Francis was older and presented first, neatly ticking the alpha box his people hoped and prayed for. Arthur was in childish awe and obviously jelly, something a smug Francis was very aware of. When Arthur presented beta (cough) after loudly insisting he would also be an alpha when his time came, Francis went beyond smug to full blown schadenfreude ecstasy. Here was yet more proof that he was the superior nation. Suck it, little beta Angleterre! You will never be an alpha. Hon hon hon.

Anyhoo, afterwards the two carried on in their normal merry, cross-channel rivalry way. Until the time came for their first truly epic clash: the Hundred Years War. Our scene is set just as the French have found their second wind (here “second wind” means “guns”) and started pushing the English back. Francis meets Arthur on the battlefield and they have their usual duel. Except, even with his newly found advantage, Francis can’t help but notice Arthur is seriously off his game. In fact he fights so badly that Francis not only wins but actually manages to take him prisoner(!) when the English retreat. Something that’s possible but unusual for their kind. As if things weren’t going crap enough for Team Anglo. Now they’ve lost more land and their national personification has been captured. Bloody hell, mate. Bit harsh, all in all.

As much as he’s loving all this, Francis is itching with curiosity as to how it happened. Arthur has proven himself a ferocious opponent over the years but in their last battle he was a joke. Flushed and unsteady, Arthur spent their bout stumbling around like a newborn foal and swinging his sword like a concussed drunk. Francis ran rings around him and it barely took any effort to knock his rival down and pin him. Truly a pitiful display. Francis knows Arthur is many things but a bad fighter isn’t one of them. So he goes to Arthur’s cell to see what’s up. And hopefully get a little more gloating in while he’s at it. Hon hon hon.

Once there, he finds Arthur in a terrible state: collapsed on the floor, delirious, and burning with fever. Francis sends word to his boss, who orders their prisoner transferred to a proper room and treated. If it seems weird he would do this, remember that if Arthur died he’d “regenerate” back in England and the French would lose a very valuable hostage. Arthur ends up in Francis’s bed so Francis can both nurse and keep an eye on him. If Arthur suddenly rallied, no way ordinary French guards could stop him escaping by themselves. Nation-people are strong, yo. Not that Arthur was very strong at that particular moment in time. It’s very odd he’s this sick when - as far as Francis knows - nothing is happening in England to cause it. No plagues, economic disasters, or the like. Arthur’s illness is a real mystery. That is, until Francis gets close enough to scent him. It happens when he climbs into bed for a cuddle. You know our FrUK pair: no matter how spiteful their rivalry, when one of them is really badly off they’ll always band together for support. Arthur is suffering with this fever and so Francis, moved but unable to help in any other way, does the only thing he can and holds him like when they were young.

That’s when he notices the unmistakable scent of pre-heat of a late bloomer. Yeeep, we all saw this coming a mile away, lol. Arthur’s long delayed second sex presentation happened in the worst place possible: the battlefield of an enemy country. Because he’s Arthur Bloody Kirkland and no matter what the universe, he’ll always have the luck of someone who ran over a gypsy every day for the last ten years. He’s still out of it so the classic “You’re an omega!/No, I’m a beta!” convo is even less coherent than you’d expect. The pre-heat moves on to full blown and Francis has to deal with his burning, slicking, still delirious rival trying to kiss his face off and begging to be fucked. His still delirious rival who suddenly has a scent like pure, uncut sex which tests Francis’s self-control like nothing ever has. Fortunately Francis is someone who not only believes that real love only comes with full, sexy consent, but also has a soft spot for omegas and Arthur. It’s tough and every kiss makes his dick feel like it’s going to tear right off his loins, but Francis still refuses to give into his worse urges and take advantage of Arthur when he’s defenceless. It’s a truly ass time for them both (no pun intended) but eventually the heat ebbs and they’re left to deal with the aftermath. Arthur is still weak and disoriented but now he can also add “mortified” and “devastated” to the list. A beta presentation was disappointing, omega is a disaster. Not only that but the frog knows! The frog, who he’s currently losing a war to. The frog, whose bed he’s nesting in. The frog, who Arthur just spent days and nights begging to fuck him. Just kill him now. There’s no coming back from this. Just throw the whole of the British Isles away.

Arthur expects Francis to rake him across the coals for some truly epic blackmail. Only to be shocked when Francis instead is…kind? Kind and…actually reassuring? Promising he won’t tell anyone else if Arthur doesn’t want him to. Arthur can’t believe it. Tries (and fails) to sit up and intimidate Francis into revealing what he’s really up to. But Francis only soothes him again. His soft spot for omegas and the hard life they lead is genuine. He assures Arthur that, rivals though they may be, Francis would never use Arthur’s second sex against him. Such a detestable thing would be below him as the country of love and beauty. Not only is Arthur’s secret safe with Francis, but Francis swears he can always come to him for help if need be. Whatever help he likes, no strings attached. Then Francis presses a soft kiss to Arthur’s forehead and oh dear, oh dear, is some of his heat still clinging on? It must be since Arthur is suddenly hot and dizzy again. Francis is very close and very handsome. Git. Stupid git. Stupid sexy frog git…

Arthur gets back on his feet thanks to Francis’s care and manages to slip away and escape. Yeah, Francis didn’t try very hard to stop him. But, you know, shit’s been tough. Let Arthur have this. A nation-person can’t disobey their boss and Arthur has to come clean when his king asks where the hell he’s been. Resulting in much fury, disgust, and “so that’s why we’re losing this damn war!” leaps of logic from the English rulers. Not much fun for poor Arthur. Ever the disappointment to a royal family who don’t even bother to hide their contempt for what fate has given them. They swear their national personification to secrecy and Arthur starts his long period of faking the second sex they thought he had before. Life goes back to normal, Anglo-French rivalry included, with one notable exception: Arthur takes Francis up on his offer of “help” with his new heats. They’re still Arthur and Francis - still enemies and rivals trying to one-up each other all over the world - but Francis is true to his word. When Arthur needs relief from a bad heat, they meet and Francis takes care of him. They’re nations so no risk of accidental pregnancy. Just good sex and then sprawling, sweaty and sated, in a nest for cuddles and afterglow. Arthur always slips away before Francis wakes up. They never discuss it in their day-to-day rivalry (“The first rule of heat club…”) but the odd truce holds strong for centuries. Only to finally unravel when Francis supports Alfred against Arthur in 1776. The resulting bitterness he feels is so great that Arthur would rather suffer through his heats alone than find relief in Francis’s arms. Things only get worse between them when the Napoleonic Wars roll around. When Arthur brings Francis’s dreams of superpower crashing down, Francis - raging and bitter in turn - lets his thirst for revenge get the better of him. He breaks his word and spitefully reveals Arthur’s secret to the rest of the European powers. The absolute nadir of the FrUK enemies-to-lovers journey? Right here. They never hated each other as much as they did in that moment.

Arthur is mortified, betrayed, and even more driven to prove himself and regain respect on the world stage. Francis’s fury takes a long time to cool and it’s only afterwards that guilt begins to gnaw at him. Vengeful as he was, that blow was still beneath him. He tries to apologise but Arthur brusquely rebuffs every attempt at contact. Things are strained between them even when they become allies during the Crimean War. They work together out of necessity but it takes years, and the rights and standing of omegas starting to improve at last, before the break begins to heal. In the late nineteenth century, Francis happens to be in London when Arthur’s heat comes calling. It’s a bad one made worse by the abuse of newly invented hard suppressants. Arthur had been popping pills like candy because it’s the Victorian Age and medical regulations are still “gentle suggestions” at best. They sold cocaine for headaches bro, lol. Francis sees Arthur once again in a bad state and pounces on his estranged lover/rival. He drags Arthur home and makes him stop taking the suppressants so his body can heal. Arthur feels bad enough in heat and coming down that he agrees to let Francis help him again like he used to. Afterwards, nesting together for the first time in nearly a century, they actually talk. Yes, really. Finally, they talk. About their relationship, their history, their falling out, complicated feelings, and where they go from there. It’s a slow start but a start nonetheless. They make enough progress that Francis goes back to helping Arthur with his heats again. Years pass, things continue to get better, old wounds close and fade, then comes Entente Cordiale, then two world wars, and everything after. Omegas finally win the equality they’ve always been denied. Francis by his side, Arthur makes peace with his second sex at last. At some point, even though it’s Summer, Arthur starts wearing one of his hand knitted scarves. Still his tsundere, embarrassed, self, he wants to hide the mating bite Francis gave him until it heals to a “respectable” scar. Francis wants him to show it off but you know Arthur. Stubborn till the end. Francis loves him anyway. Happily, the feeling is mutual. ❤️

There you have it! My thoughts on how FrUK could work out in Hetalia omegaverse. Hope you enjoyed reading ^^ I wrote so much aaahhhhh I’m embarrassed. This OTP makes me so silly

[realityhelixcreates]

B, O and Z for the mannerisms ask game and 9,22, 26 and 38 for the otp ask game. Whichever character you prefer but you do know which are my faves... I don't mind though! I love reading whatever you write. ❤️

B. Bold: Does your character mock other people nonverbally? Have they ever gotten in trouble for making a sarcastic facial expression?

Loki: Absolutely, constantly, and starting from the tender age of 'can make facial expressions'. Loki's expression and body language can be so subtle that sometimes only his brother knew what he was saying. A thousand years of refined sarcasm.

Any Riddler: Oh yes, in fact, they are well known for it. No matter how well behaved, all of them have an attitude, and even sweet, darling YJ knows how to roll an eye at the most devastating moment. Swag and Puzzles are even willing to turn it on Family, though often for very different reasons. They all used to get into trouble for it a lot as children. It is a universal constant that all Riddlers fathers were massive pieces of shit.

Helix: She'll read the room first. Mostly she would only do it as a 'joke' that the target could also laugh at.

O. Odd: Does your character tend to make unusual facial expressions, or have unusual speech patterns? Do they do anything that other characters make fun of?

YJ has a noticeable lisp, so you can guess how school went for him. The supervillain scene wasn't much different, but no one in the Family ever brought it up, not even Puzzles. Helix sometimes speaks in the synesthetic impressions that she experiences, and others often find it confusing, nonsensical, or pretentious. Narci's voice is very light and airy, and many people think he's faking it, but he's not. When the demon Lust is hiding inside Nash's body, he will change Nash's eyes to bright blue, and turn his head aside to let others know that he is speaking instead of Nash, which people tend to find extremely disconcerting. Being mostly non-powered costumed villains that are more nerd than brawn, they all have had others make fun of them-the bullying scene among villains is fierce and sometimes deadly. They tend to give what they get though.

Most of the younger and some of the newer Riddlers had bad reactions to Swag, not liking what he represented, and the less socially enlightened (especially Puzzles, initially) had difficulty with Detective's refusal to adhere to gender norms, but they all damn well got over it.

Z. Zest: How much does your character use movement to express their feelings? Do they jump up and down with excitement, or do they keep it to a slight smile?

Loki has great control over his body language, so any movement-or lack of movement-is purposeful. How much or how little depends on what he feels will have the greatest impact on the moment.

Helix is neurodivergent, though she was never able to get diagnosed on her Earth, and doesn't really know. She bounces, sways, dances in place. Her 'standing still' looks like a fighting game characters idle animation. She is nearly always in motion.

Swag gestures like an Italian. Unswag does too, though slightly more reserved.

Detective prefers large, elegant movements. Arkham moves slowly and precisely, like a snake.

Puzzles and Prince gesture aggressively, whether being aggressive or not. Nash makes small movements, but YJ puts his whole body into it.

Narci moves gently and fluidly, but post return he is unnaturally still.

9 What are their thoughts on having children?

There is a conflict brewing in Lasabrjotr. Loki wants children, Reader absolutely does not.

Between Swag, Unswag, and Helix, they have agreed that there will be none. The twins don't believe themselves to be capable parents, and Helix already has a child and a semi-adult ward. That's plenty for her.

Detective really did want children, and so they adopted every Riddler they found that was younger than them. YJ also would like kids one day, but, like Swag, feels like he wouldn't be a capable parent. Unlike Swag, he is wrong. None of the rest of them are really interested, though Arkham has accepted the role of father of the Family. His idea of fatherhood is a very twisted thing.

22 What reminds each of their partner?

It may be a little cliche, but the color green and the scent of cinnamon for Lasa!reader and Loki.

The sight of spirals and any plant brings Helix up to Swag, as well as the scent of vanilla and cloves. For Unswag, the mention of magic, and the feeling of using his special sight. For Helix, question marks of course, but also certain genres of music, the taste of pomegranates mixed with chocolate, and the specific feel of their world.

26 What are their vices?

Loki is really into revenge. Maybe a little too much, he needs to reel it back. Also pride, which I remind you, is not the same as self confidence.

Name a vice, Swag's got it. However, he does go to great lengths to control his anger, so perhaps wrath is the weakest among them. Lust is his most prevalent vice, and not just sexual. Swag likes to indulge in practically anything, a hedonist by philosophy, and an ethical hedonist later on. Unswag is much less extreme, but more given to anger. Helix is softer, but also prone to lust in many of its forms, as well as hubris. Not quite the same as pride, but still dangerous.

Even though Nash is the host and lover to the Anthropomorphic Personification of the Deadly Sin of Lust, he is instead deeply affected by wrath. Nash can become consumed by rage and vengefulness very quickly and holds many grudges.

38 Who is more sexually experimental? Who's more vanilla?

Okay so. Loki is extremely flexible. He could do anything, but also would be happy with vanilla missionary for the rest of time, because what he actually craves is the intimacy and the validation. Lasa!reader has just a touch of a top about her.

Swag is the kinkiest motherfucker you'll ever meet, though even he has limits. He also tailors himself to his partners needs, but likes to take himself to extremes, if allowed. He's encouraging but not pushy. Unswag, while he has memories of Swags experience, doesn't have that experience himself, and doesn't like many of the things Swag does. He's not as submissive as Swag can be, but often lets Swag lead encounters, due to that inexperience, and also due to his fear/hunger for Helix. Helix is somewhere in the middle. Not inexperienced, but just hasn't tried many things. She's curious though, and willing to try some things.

Puzzles and Arkham are pretty into pain. Bruises, burns, bitemarks and blood, but nothing permanent.

Nash is young and inexperienced, and not experimental at all. Lust is very ambiguous in age and, well, he's Lust. He knows how to do everything. He is also a demon, sort of, and dreams of seeing Nash grow into a being akin to himself. It's a little dark perhaps, but that's the situation.

[reneeacaseyfl]

The Shopping Center That Is a Technology Testing Center

A shopping center on the fringes of Ljubljana, Slovenia resembles those in virtually any European city. But it’s different in one significant way: BTC City, as the development is called, is part of an experiment aimed at changing how we live. 

The 117-acre agglomeration of shops, restaurants, office buildings, a movie theater, and waterpark, houses a huge network of sensors and video cameras. The point is for the 18-month old development to serve as a testing ground for emerging technology. 

AV Living Lab, the name for the digital ecosystem, has managed 30 tests within the shopping center for companies such as Google and Toyota that are hoping to create cutting-edge technology. But to do so, they must understand how real people go about their daily lives. 

Each time visitors use the parking lot, buy a sandwich at a food cart, or hit the gym, an extensive digital monitoring system collects the data and crunches it so that businesses can test and refine their technology.  

The broad urban experiment, owned by the Slovenian real estate conglomerate BTC Group, attracts businesses from sectors including energy, retail, and banking. It charges companies money for access to its digital infrastructure and real-time audience. 

Even though the AV Living Lab follows the European Union’s stringent privacy regulations, most visitors aren’t aware they’re serving as lab rats for a large-scale experiment. For app-based technology, customers must opt-in before the lab collects personal data. Data on traffic patterns and pedestrian density, for example, is anonymized at the source. 

“In the past, research and development may have taken place behind closed doors,” said AV Living Lab chief technology officer Radovan Sernec, “whereas today, it is clear that solutions must be tested in a living environment as soon as possible.” 

The AV Living Lab in Ljubljana, Slovenia

The idea of a contained digital infrastructure within city limits is not unique to Slovenia. London’s Smart Mobility Living Lab and Barcelona Smart City have incubated transportation and IoT technology for several years. 

Meanwhile, Sidewalk Labs, owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, is building a 12-acre, sensor-laden smart neighborhood on Toronto’s waterfront. The project will tackle transportation, housing, and other challenges facing growing cities.

Of course, some of the projects have prompted backlash as companies extend their influence offline. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is suing three levels of government over Sidewalk Labs’ plans, arguing that the data could be used to target advertising and influence votes.

When it comes to privacy in smart cities, “there is none,” said Anthony Townsend, a New York-based urban planner. “People are guinea pigs being used to evaluate the market for new technologies.”

The European Union implemented sweeping privacy reforms last year to control how residents’ personal information can be used. Companies are required to obtain permission from users before collecting data, a move that will “make the EU a better place for privacy protection but will raise the cost of testing,” Townsend said.

At Ljubljana’s AV Living Lab, the process is “carefully managed on a case-per-case basis,” said Daniel Avdagič, the project’s chief executive. Getting approval online when users download an app is straightforward. But if a company wants to use CCTV footage, “they would need to stop everyone in the area and ask for permission,” he said, acknowledging that it would take a good deal of manpower to secure permission from every pedestrian in the relevant footage. “It hasn’t happened yet, but that process would be painful, costly, and time-consuming.”

For now, most companies setting up shop at AV Living Lab use mobile apps and sensors to test their technology quickly. The area’s monitored features include 8,500 parking spaces, 22 electric vehicle-charging stations, a free shuttle bus, and stations for car-sharing and bicycle rentals. 

Nearly 54,000 people visit the shopping center daily. Each day, about 38,000 cars drive its 6.8 miles of roads and more than a dozen roundabouts, a traffic device crucial to testing autonomous vehicles. 

That’s enough to convince one of the world’s largest automakers, Toyota, to conduct a rideshare experiment to put to use some of the 90% of vehicles that remain parked during the work day. The information collected on how workers and shopping center goers use the cars will shed light on how to price rideshares and right-size fleets. 

“We have buildings, roads, and people,” said Avdagič. “We have everything a city has.”

The development benefits from its location in Central Europe, too. The four-season climate allows companies to test their technology and observe consumer behavior across a range of challenging weather conditions like fog and snow, which can wreak havoc on sensors’ ability to read infrastructure. 

One year into the project, BTC is aggressively recruiting companies worldwide, touting time and cost savings. For example, Avdagič said a basic experiment can start at $25,000 and run for a month. The AV Living Lab is nimble enough to implement pilots within days but large enough to attract 20 million visitors annually along with international tenants including Microsoft and Novo Nordisk.

“We are like a Disneyland for proofs of concept, and engineers love it,” Avdagič said. “They are from multiple industries and companies, so they can learn from each other and partner.”

Meanwhile, the living lab format requires corporations to sacrifice privacy, too. Long used to guarding their proprietary technology, companies must now collaborate to gain a foothold in the “passenger” economy, which Intel projects to be worth $7 trillion by 2050. The term comprises the multitude of mobility services, from rideshare to entertainment, arising from the driverless future.

Several of the region’s test cases are joint ventures. Budapest-based OTP Bank and Liberbank in Madrid partnered to launch the “Pay with a Smile” project. The fintech pilot uses facial recognition for BTC City visitors who want to buy an ice cream at the waterpark or bottled water at the tennis complex but left their wallets behind in the locker room. Users register through an app that links their faces with their bank accounts. A device at the register then scans their faces and transfers funds from their bank to the shop.

Additionally, the Japanese government joined forces with Hitachi on Slovenian soil to find ways to manage energy storage to power electric vehicles and the shopping center itself. The energy collected from the grid is stored in batteries to be installed in the ecosystem. 

But some companies continue to work alone. Daimler is developing a product that lets users earn points for visiting the gym and redeem them for ride- and bike-share services. BTC developed its own pilot to redistribute hot air generated from a nearby factory to heat the waterpark.  

The results also let companies know when they need to return to the drawing board. Navya, a French autonomous vehicle company, piloted its self-driving cars within BTC City before finding that the technology isn’t ready for real-world conditions. In the meantime, it will use the technology for airport and hotel shuttles. 

Automotive supplier Hella is having more success, testing the sound and light signals that best allow autonomous vehicles to broadcast their intent to pedestrians in the crosswalk. Their facial expressions are captured using a camera embedded in the car and analyzed to teach driverless cars how to communicate. 

Said Avdagič, “When you put a lot of smart people in a small country, magic happens.”

Credit: Source link

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[velmaemyers88]

The Shopping Center That Is a Technology Testing Center

A shopping center on the fringes of Ljubljana, Slovenia resembles those in virtually any European city. But it’s different in one significant way: BTC City, as the development is called, is part of an experiment aimed at changing how we live. 

The 117-acre agglomeration of shops, restaurants, office buildings, a movie theater, and waterpark, houses a huge network of sensors and video cameras. The point is for the 18-month old development to serve as a testing ground for emerging technology. 

AV Living Lab, the name for the digital ecosystem, has managed 30 tests within the shopping center for companies such as Google and Toyota that are hoping to create cutting-edge technology. But to do so, they must understand how real people go about their daily lives. 

Each time visitors use the parking lot, buy a sandwich at a food cart, or hit the gym, an extensive digital monitoring system collects the data and crunches it so that businesses can test and refine their technology.  

The broad urban experiment, owned by the Slovenian real estate conglomerate BTC Group, attracts businesses from sectors including energy, retail, and banking. It charges companies money for access to its digital infrastructure and real-time audience. 

Even though the AV Living Lab follows the European Union’s stringent privacy regulations, most visitors aren’t aware they’re serving as lab rats for a large-scale experiment. For app-based technology, customers must opt-in before the lab collects personal data. Data on traffic patterns and pedestrian density, for example, is anonymized at the source. 

“In the past, research and development may have taken place behind closed doors,” said AV Living Lab chief technology officer Radovan Sernec, “whereas today, it is clear that solutions must be tested in a living environment as soon as possible.” 

The AV Living Lab in Ljubljana, Slovenia

The idea of a contained digital infrastructure within city limits is not unique to Slovenia. London’s Smart Mobility Living Lab and Barcelona Smart City have incubated transportation and IoT technology for several years. 

Meanwhile, Sidewalk Labs, owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, is building a 12-acre, sensor-laden smart neighborhood on Toronto’s waterfront. The project will tackle transportation, housing, and other challenges facing growing cities.

Of course, some of the projects have prompted backlash as companies extend their influence offline. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is suing three levels of government over Sidewalk Labs’ plans, arguing that the data could be used to target advertising and influence votes.

When it comes to privacy in smart cities, “there is none,” said Anthony Townsend, a New York-based urban planner. “People are guinea pigs being used to evaluate the market for new technologies.”

The European Union implemented sweeping privacy reforms last year to control how residents’ personal information can be used. Companies are required to obtain permission from users before collecting data, a move that will “make the EU a better place for privacy protection but will raise the cost of testing,” Townsend said.

At Ljubljana’s AV Living Lab, the process is “carefully managed on a case-per-case basis,” said Daniel Avdagič, the project’s chief executive. Getting approval online when users download an app is straightforward. But if a company wants to use CCTV footage, “they would need to stop everyone in the area and ask for permission,” he said, acknowledging that it would take a good deal of manpower to secure permission from every pedestrian in the relevant footage. “It hasn’t happened yet, but that process would be painful, costly, and time-consuming.”

For now, most companies setting up shop at AV Living Lab use mobile apps and sensors to test their technology quickly. The area’s monitored features include 8,500 parking spaces, 22 electric vehicle-charging stations, a free shuttle bus, and stations for car-sharing and bicycle rentals. 

Nearly 54,000 people visit the shopping center daily. Each day, about 38,000 cars drive its 6.8 miles of roads and more than a dozen roundabouts, a traffic device crucial to testing autonomous vehicles. 

That’s enough to convince one of the world’s largest automakers, Toyota, to conduct a rideshare experiment to put to use some of the 90% of vehicles that remain parked during the work day. The information collected on how workers and shopping center goers use the cars will shed light on how to price rideshares and right-size fleets. 

“We have buildings, roads, and people,” said Avdagič. “We have everything a city has.”

The development benefits from its location in Central Europe, too. The four-season climate allows companies to test their technology and observe consumer behavior across a range of challenging weather conditions like fog and snow, which can wreak havoc on sensors’ ability to read infrastructure. 

One year into the project, BTC is aggressively recruiting companies worldwide, touting time and cost savings. For example, Avdagič said a basic experiment can start at $25,000 and run for a month. The AV Living Lab is nimble enough to implement pilots within days but large enough to attract 20 million visitors annually along with international tenants including Microsoft and Novo Nordisk.

“We are like a Disneyland for proofs of concept, and engineers love it,” Avdagič said. “They are from multiple industries and companies, so they can learn from each other and partner.”

Meanwhile, the living lab format requires corporations to sacrifice privacy, too. Long used to guarding their proprietary technology, companies must now collaborate to gain a foothold in the “passenger” economy, which Intel projects to be worth $7 trillion by 2050. The term comprises the multitude of mobility services, from rideshare to entertainment, arising from the driverless future.

Several of the region’s test cases are joint ventures. Budapest-based OTP Bank and Liberbank in Madrid partnered to launch the “Pay with a Smile” project. The fintech pilot uses facial recognition for BTC City visitors who want to buy an ice cream at the waterpark or bottled water at the tennis complex but left their wallets behind in the locker room. Users register through an app that links their faces with their bank accounts. A device at the register then scans their faces and transfers funds from their bank to the shop.

Additionally, the Japanese government joined forces with Hitachi on Slovenian soil to find ways to manage energy storage to power electric vehicles and the shopping center itself. The energy collected from the grid is stored in batteries to be installed in the ecosystem. 

But some companies continue to work alone. Daimler is developing a product that lets users earn points for visiting the gym and redeem them for ride- and bike-share services. BTC developed its own pilot to redistribute hot air generated from a nearby factory to heat the waterpark.  

The results also let companies know when they need to return to the drawing board. Navya, a French autonomous vehicle company, piloted its self-driving cars within BTC City before finding that the technology isn’t ready for real-world conditions. In the meantime, it will use the technology for airport and hotel shuttles. 

Automotive supplier Hella is having more success, testing the sound and light signals that best allow autonomous vehicles to broadcast their intent to pedestrians in the crosswalk. Their facial expressions are captured using a camera embedded in the car and analyzed to teach driverless cars how to communicate. 

Said Avdagič, “When you put a lot of smart people in a small country, magic happens.”

Credit: Source link

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[weeklyreviewer]

The Shopping Center That Is a Technology Testing Center

A shopping center on the fringes of Ljubljana, Slovenia resembles those in virtually any European city. But it’s different in one significant way: BTC City, as the development is called, is part of an experiment aimed at changing how we live. 

The 117-acre agglomeration of shops, restaurants, office buildings, a movie theater, and waterpark, houses a huge network of sensors and video cameras. The point is for the 18-month old development to serve as a testing ground for emerging technology. 

AV Living Lab, the name for the digital ecosystem, has managed 30 tests within the shopping center for companies such as Google and Toyota that are hoping to create cutting-edge technology. But to do so, they must understand how real people go about their daily lives. 

Each time visitors use the parking lot, buy a sandwich at a food cart, or hit the gym, an extensive digital monitoring system collects the data and crunches it so that businesses can test and refine their technology.  

The broad urban experiment, owned by the Slovenian real estate conglomerate BTC Group, attracts businesses from sectors including energy, retail, and banking. It charges companies money for access to its digital infrastructure and real-time audience. 

Even though the AV Living Lab follows the European Union’s stringent privacy regulations, most visitors aren’t aware they’re serving as lab rats for a large-scale experiment. For app-based technology, customers must opt-in before the lab collects personal data. Data on traffic patterns and pedestrian density, for example, is anonymized at the source. 

“In the past, research and development may have taken place behind closed doors,” said AV Living Lab chief technology officer Radovan Sernec, “whereas today, it is clear that solutions must be tested in a living environment as soon as possible.” 

The AV Living Lab in Ljubljana, Slovenia

The idea of a contained digital infrastructure within city limits is not unique to Slovenia. London’s Smart Mobility Living Lab and Barcelona Smart City have incubated transportation and IoT technology for several years. 

Meanwhile, Sidewalk Labs, owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, is building a 12-acre, sensor-laden smart neighborhood on Toronto’s waterfront. The project will tackle transportation, housing, and other challenges facing growing cities.  

Of course, some of the projects have prompted backlash as companies extend their influence offline. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is suing three levels of government over Sidewalk Labs’ plans, arguing that the data could be used to target advertising and influence votes.

When it comes to privacy in smart cities, “there is none,” said Anthony Townsend, a New York-based urban planner. “People are guinea pigs being used to evaluate the market for new technologies.”

The European Union implemented sweeping privacy reforms last year to control how residents’ personal information can be used. Companies are required to obtain permission from users before collecting data, a move that will “make the EU a better place for privacy protection but will raise the cost of testing,” Townsend said.

At Ljubljana’s AV Living Lab, the process is “carefully managed on a case-per-case basis,” said Daniel Avdagič, the project’s chief executive. Getting approval online when users download an app is straightforward. But if a company wants to use CCTV footage, “they would need to stop everyone in the area and ask for permission,” he said, acknowledging that it would take a good deal of manpower to secure permission from every pedestrian in the relevant footage. “It hasn’t happened yet, but that process would be painful, costly, and time-consuming.”

For now, most companies setting up shop at AV Living Lab use mobile apps and sensors to test their technology quickly. The area’s monitored features include 8,500 parking spaces, 22 electric vehicle-charging stations, a free shuttle bus, and stations for car-sharing and bicycle rentals. 

Nearly 54,000 people visit the shopping center daily. Each day, about 38,000 cars drive its 6.8 miles of roads and more than a dozen roundabouts, a traffic device crucial to testing autonomous vehicles. 

That’s enough to convince one of the world’s largest automakers, Toyota, to conduct a rideshare experiment to put to use some of the 90% of vehicles that remain parked during the work day. The information collected on how workers and shopping center goers use the cars will shed light on how to price rideshares and right-size fleets. 

“We have buildings, roads, and people,” said Avdagič. “We have everything a city has.”

The development benefits from its location in Central Europe, too. The four-season climate allows companies to test their technology and observe consumer behavior across a range of challenging weather conditions like fog and snow, which can wreak havoc on sensors’ ability to read infrastructure. 

One year into the project, BTC is aggressively recruiting companies worldwide, touting time and cost savings. For example, Avdagič said a basic experiment can start at $25,000 and run for a month. The AV Living Lab is nimble enough to implement pilots within days but large enough to attract 20 million visitors annually along with international tenants including Microsoft and Novo Nordisk.

“We are like a Disneyland for proofs of concept, and engineers love it,” Avdagič said. “They are from multiple industries and companies, so they can learn from each other and partner.”

Meanwhile, the living lab format requires corporations to sacrifice privacy, too. Long used to guarding their proprietary technology, companies must now collaborate to gain a foothold in the “passenger” economy, which Intel projects to be worth $7 trillion by 2050. The term comprises the multitude of mobility services, from rideshare to entertainment, arising from the driverless future.

Several of the region’s test cases are joint ventures. Budapest-based OTP Bank and Liberbank in Madrid partnered to launch the “Pay with a Smile” project. The fintech pilot uses facial recognition for BTC City visitors who want to buy an ice cream at the waterpark or bottled water at the tennis complex but left their wallets behind in the locker room. Users register through an app that links their faces with their bank accounts. A device at the register then scans their faces and transfers funds from their bank to the shop.

Additionally, the Japanese government joined forces with Hitachi on Slovenian soil to find ways to manage energy storage to power electric vehicles and the shopping center itself. The energy collected from the grid is stored in batteries to be installed in the ecosystem. 

But some companies continue to work alone. Daimler is developing a product that lets users earn points for visiting the gym and redeem them for ride- and bike-share services. BTC developed its own pilot to redistribute hot air generated from a nearby factory to heat the waterpark.  

The results also let companies know when they need to return to the drawing board. Navya, a French autonomous vehicle company, piloted its self-driving cars within BTC City before finding that the technology isn’t ready for real-world conditions. In the meantime, it will use the technology for airport and hotel shuttles. 

Automotive supplier Hella is having more success, testing the sound and light signals that best allow autonomous vehicles to broadcast their intent to pedestrians in the crosswalk. Their facial expressions are captured using a camera embedded in the car and analyzed to teach driverless cars how to communicate. 

Said Avdagič, “When you put a lot of smart people in a small country, magic happens.”

Credit: Source link

The post The Shopping Center That Is a Technology Testing Center appeared first on WeeklyReviewer.

from WeeklyReviewer https://weeklyreviewer.com/the-shopping-center-that-is-a-technology-testing-center/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-shopping-center-that-is-a-technology-testing-center

[josephinekhawaja]

...shout-out to the first-ever edit for Eddie x Susie on YouTube (though I maintain the teaser trailer actually gave us our first-ever EdSie song), my favourite kind of fan content for an OTP. I would say between this, the growing notes on posts, and the prospective Discord if anybody wants to help with that, we are well on our way.

Your love is scaring me No one has ever cared for me As much as you do Oooh, yeah, I need you here, oh